No. 9 North Carolina easily beats Miss. St. 95-49

Mississippi State head coach Rick Ray, left, talks with an official during a timeout in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina, Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

(APWF)

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) Leslie McDonald scored 21 points as one of five North Carolina players in double-figures in an easy 95-49 win over Mississippi State on Monday at the Maui Invitational.

P.J. Hairston had 18 points, Reggie Bullock had 16 points, and Dexter Strickland and James McAdoo each scored 10.

Roquez Johnson led the Bulldogs with 12 points.

The Tar Heels scored the game's first nine points and led 29-6 in less than 10 minutes. Mississippi State never came closer than 20 points behind after that. A fade-away 3-pointer from Hairston put UNC up 42 with 5:30 left in the game.

Mississippi State made just seven shots in the first half and shot 28.3 percent for the game.

North Carolina next faces Butler, which topped Marquette on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer earlier Monday.